The Abandoned Lady Lives in a Dollhouse - Chapter 9

The balls hosted by House Trish were to strengthen the influence of Marquis Robert. Since Lilith was a mistress, she could attend. She wouldn’t be welcomed anywhere else.

I’d rather stay in my room than look at her. Juno kept her gaze on the book she held. “You may leave now.”

The servants standing in Juno’s room left as if they were waiting for her to say it.

Although Juno was protected by the branch families, the most powerful person in the mansion was still Marquis Robert. It was to be expected the servants disliked Juno. They weren’t this bad when Mr. Nereus was here.

In the past, Nereus cared for her, so the servants couldn’t openly display their reluctance to serve her. But the new family butler was loyal to the marquis. As a result, Juno’s living situation worsened.

She briefly recalled that friendly smile. Then, she heard laughter outside her room. The ball was at its peak. “How noisy.”

Juno clicked her tongue and reached for her teacup. She grimaced after taking a sip. “…What is this?”

The tea was truly bitter. It was unlikely they brewed the wrong tea in the first place, so they must have used low-quality tea leaves.

“They can’t even be bothered to put in the minimal effort.” She decided to go back to reading her book. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Even if she spoke about it, Juno would only make a fool of herself. Juno allowed this to happen in hopes of the possibility that someone would speak up for her.

“I have no intention acting upon something that will never come to fruition.” Juno drank the rest of her tea while turning the pages. Perhaps the chilly weather made the tea taste not as bad as she initially thought.

As soon as Juno reached the last page, there was a small knock on the door.

“Come in,” she said without taking her eyes off the book. She didn’t know who it was, but she presumed the person was one of Lilith’s servants.

Juno felt the visitor’s gaze on her. After observing her from the doorway, the visitor slowly approached her.

Juno, satisfied with finishing the book, closed it and looked up. “I didn’t call for any…” She blinked. “Why are you here?”

“It will be your birthday in a few minutes.”

The unexpected visitor was Jupiter. With a pleasant smile on his face, he sat across from her.

“Haven’t you been quite busy as of late?”

Unlike Juno, he was invited to the ball. Jupiter shrugged. “It’s just a typical party.” In other words, that was an excuse to reject Marquis Robert’s invitation. “I felt it was unnecessary to attend.”

Marquis Robert still had no children with Lilith, and the power of the branch families had grown. Jupiter didn’t even have to acknowledge the marquis.

Nodding, Juno noticed Jupiter’s clothes. “Did something happen?” It was impossible he dressed up for no reason. He was wearing formal attire, and his platinum blond hair was slicked back. He was handsome in a black suit.

“Yes. Please forgive me for what I’m about to say…”

“Huh?”

“Very annoying. Talks too much for my liking.” Jupiter usually smiled, so when there wasn’t a grin on his face like right now, he looked almost unrecognizable, unapproachable.

“Did you not like the person you met this time?”

“Not necessarily. I told him I had to do something important, but he insisted I stay longer.”

“It must be very important, huh?”

“Yes, I almost missed your birthday.”

Juno was speechless.

Smiling, Jupiter said, “I’m here to wish you a happy birthday.” He glanced at the clock. “In ten seconds.”

As soon as the clock struck midnight, he looked at her and said, “Happy birthday, Juno.”

It was a very simple celebratory greeting; however, Juno felt it was more than that.

Curious to see how she’d react, Jupiter said, “I wanted to be the first one to say it.”

A little ashamed she was almost gawking at him, Juno pretended nothing happened. “You’re the only person who’s been wishing me a happy birthday since… Why are you smiling?”

Juno pointed at the raised corners of Jupiter’s mouth. Seemingly enjoying himself, he shook his head.

“It’s fun.”

“Do you like it when no one celebrates my birthday?”

“No, I like spending time with you.”

Blushing, Juno turned her head to the side and murmured, “You’re weird.”

“Is that what you think?”

His soft laugh tickled her ears. Juno quickly changed the subject.

“Would you like to have a drink?” She picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for him. “It’s cold, but you can’t complain.”

With mischief in her eyes, Juno smirked as she watched Jupiter drink the tea.

“…What is this?” He didn’t spit it out, but he wasn’t gentle with putting down the teacup.

Juno giggled at the liquid that got on the tablecloth. “Tea.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jupiter asked, “Was this your idea?”

She moved her hand to show that wasn’t the case. “I don’t want to lose.”

Juno was still a little childish. I was hoping you’d throw a fit if I served you low-quality tea. Unfortunately, he drank it without even showing the slightest hint of dissatisfaction. It would be embarrassing to tell him the truth, so she swallowed her words.

Jupiter looked at her as if she was cute and asked, “So I’ll lose if I don’t drink all of it?”

Juno sipped her tea without saying a word, and Jupiter emptied his teacup before pouring himself another drink.

“It’s awful.” Jupiter, who had been drinking the tea as if to a beat, poured the last of the liquid into his cup. “Do you know who’s behind this?”

Juno snorted. “Who else would do such a childish prank?”

“Are you going to let it go?” It was unimaginable Jupiter was drinking the low-quality tea. At a glance, a person would think he drank the finest of teas with how elegant he was. Of course, Juno’s manners were just as good as his.

“It could’ve been worse. I’ll deal with it.”

Jupiter placed his teacup on the table.

Juno was grateful, looking at the empty teapot. “Well done. Truly a wonderful birthday present.”

“I’ll give you a different present. Won’t you consider this just me doing you a favor?”

It was an amazing act of kindness. She couldn’t believe he drank all of that disgusting tea. Juno chuckled. Then, Jupiter took her hand. Carefully, he traced each of her fingers and touched a callus on her middle finger.

“You have calluses.”

Juno tried to pull her hand back. “I’ve been studying.”

Jupiter only tightened his grip in response. He put her hand against his mouth, his lips touching the callus. Juno felt a shiver down her spine.

“What are you doing?”

Jupiter didn’t answer her question. “It’s horrible. The scent is unnecessarily strong.”

Juno attempted to pull her hand back again. “Why does that matter?”

“I don’t know.” Jupiter didn’t let go, and he placed her hand on the table.

Juno gulped. He was still holding her hand, but she was relieved he wasn’t going to kiss the back of it like before. She wiggled her fingers.

“Juno.”

“Yes?” She wanted to ignore what just happened, but her voice came out a little hoarse. She bit her lip.

“…Are you lonely?”

Without thinking too much about the question, Juno replied, “I’m fine.”

“It must get lonely at times.”

The atmosphere in the room had completely changed. Juno looked at him.

“Am I not enough?” he asked.

Should she say he looked bitter or sad?

Are you upset? It was difficult to determine a person’s feelings with only facial expressions. Feeling restless for some reason, she murmured, “I wish I had some room to breathe.”

Jupiter tilted his head. “Have I crossed a line?”

When the warmth around her hand disappeared, Juno accidentally pushed the book she had been reading.